Use Notifications on your Mac

Notifications are a great way for your apps to keep you informed and appear in the upper-right corner of your screen. Learn how to customize alerts and use features like Notification Center and Do Not Disturb.

Use Notification Center

Notification Center shows your notifications, like a calendar alert or a missed FaceTime call. Notification Center also gives you quick access to widgets that show you information from your apps.

To open Notification Center, click in the upper-right corner of your screen, then choose what you want to do:

Add and remove widgets: Click the Today tab, click Edit at the bottom, then click or .

Rearrange widgets: Click the Today tab, click Edit at the bottom, then drag a widget to a new location.

Get more widgets: Click the Today tab, click Edit at the bottom, then click App Store.

Customize alerts or turn them off

Choose Banners or Alerts. Or to turn off alerts for the app, choose None.

Some apps also have sounds, badges, and other notifications options.

Use Do Not Disturb

Do Not Disturb silences incoming calls and notifications and automatically turns on when your Mac is connected to a TV or projector. If you want to choose when Do Not Disturb turns on and off, choose Apple () menu > System Preferences, then click Notifications.

Learn More

To get more information about Notifications, click in Notifications preferences.